Hong Kong authorities have condemned outgoing US President Joe Biden’s order to extend “safe haven” protections for Hongkongers, calling the move a “malicious attack.”
China and Hong Kong flags. Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP.
In a statement on Thursday night, the government said it “strongly disapproves of and condemns the malicious attack by the United States (US) through signing a memorandum, which… expands the Deferred Enforced Departure eligibility for certain Hong Kong residents in the US.”
Biden introduced the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) in August 2021, citing the need to offer Hongkongers a “safe haven” following the Beijing-imposed national security law and the arrests of over 10,000 people over the anti-extradition protests in 2019. It allows eligible Hong Kong residents living in the US to stay beyond the expiry of their visas.
The protections, which also allow those covered to work in the US, were meant to expire in early February. But on Wednesday, Biden signed a memorandum extending the programme for two more years, saying there were “compelling foreign policy reasons” for doing so amidBeijing’s “continued” assault on Hong Kong’s autonomy.
US President Joe Biden. File Photo: US Government.
Biden cited the jailing of 45 pro-democracy activists convicted in the city’s landmark national security trial last November over “peaceful participation in political activities.”
“Offering safe haven for Hong Kong residents who have been deprived of their guaranteed freedoms in Hong Kong furthers United States interests in the region,” Biden said. “The United States will continue to stand firm in our support of the people in Hong Kong.”
The DED also covers people from Lebanon, Liberia, and Palestine, according to the US government’s website.
The extension of DED for Hongkongers came days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next Monday. After Trump was re-elected, Hong Kong pro-democracy groups in the US lobbied the Biden administration to extend the protections, fearing Trump would not renew them.
The White House in Washington DC. Photo: US National Parks Services.
In its Thursday statement, the Hong Kong government said that it “strongly demands the US government to immediately stop the malicious smears of and interference in Hong Kong matters which are purely China’s internal affairs.”
Authorities said Hongkongers rights and freedoms are protected under the national security law and Article 23, the city’s homegrown security legislation, as well as international covenants that Hong Kong is party to – but such freedoms are not absolute.
The national security law plugged loopholes in Hong Kong’s legal system, the statement said, adding that it allowed people’s “livelihood and economic activities to return to normalcy.”
